A New Path Forward for Republicans on Health Care (And Candidates)

Republicans have always been the party of emancipation from immoral systems within the government. Obamacare has shredded a flawed but generally effective health care system for patient outcomes and replaced it with an insurance mandate so ridiculous that it is now a crime to be too poor to afford health insurance.

Fortunately, Republicans do have leaders that have publicly committed to a much more effective plan that, among other reforms, expands individual autonomy in health care choices, removes barriers to competition, and requires greater price transparency.

Yes, yes, I know, I buried the lead. What I actually want to discuss is people discounting Trump’s seriousness solely because of media soundbites or internet punditry. Almost anybody can get a platform on the internet. (I mean, I have one for goodness sake!)

So it disturbs me that so many Republicans continue to praise the game show media we have in this country as if 30 second soundbites are how people are seriously going to determine policy. Here’s an example: Ted Cruz is a recognized debating society champion – it’s too bad nothing remotely resembling an academic debate format is presented in the primaries.

The same thing is true for the idiot box roller coaster ride of soundbites we experience on television, all of which can be formatted like a clickbait headline:

What I’m getting at is that most news and most journalists are absolutely worthless for assessing candidates. Even a few conservative pundit sites are little more than echo chamber hyperbole generated for the author’s own gain. I could name names but I won’t, that’s not the point.

We should judge a candidate by what they’ll commit to in writing on their own website, and then hold them to that. If a candidate isn’t given a platform of at least 5 minutes to speak on a subject then you can ignore much of it as buzz. The same is true for internet stories, a number of which are satirical but keep being shared anyway.

Here’s what I know about the presumptive nominee Donald Trump:

At worst, Trump’s excesses involved operating within the pay-for-play system of New York City politics. That body politic is totally corrupt as evidenced by their recently indicted speaker and the fact Andrew Cuomo insists on investigating his own office to look for charges. This is where the eminent domain impulse comes from and resistance to it is one I share.

What I think Trump will focus on in office are the issues listed on his website. Trump wants internal government reforms at the Veteran’s Administration, major reforms on our immigration system with a focus on supporting law enforcement. As much as I love “abolish the IRS,” that is not realistic as a tax plan (but it IS a great issue for internal reform.)

Let’s contrast Clinton. I do not anticipate Clinton will operate differently from Obama. Her administration will be a continuation of the approach that no issue is so small that big government – and it’s attendant financial threats – is not the “solution” to it. Obama just threatened every school district in the country with financial ruin if they don’t let little boys into the little girls room.

That is malicious government, and Clinton is all about malicious government. For Clinton Big Government is the solution even if there isn’t a problem. More importantly, Clinton’s malicious government is always and forever targeted at her political enemies while her allies do not have to follow its sweeping mandates. Take for example Obamacare waivers: Labor Unions now support politicians that make the health care benefits their collective bargaining units negotiate for their own workers illegal. They do this because they are assured they will get a waiver from the law as long as they continue financial and campaign support.

Trump is not enthralled to this mindset. He won this nomination fair and square. He knows that the news media and soundbite culture are not serious so he doesn’t treat them that way. I think a change of pace and a change of perspective is long overdue. What Trump may or may not say in an interview will likely infuriate you, which means what: That you are anticipating Donald Trump as President.

If 100 million people have been thinking about nothing but Donald Trump as President for 6 months, he will win, because each moment spent anticipating Donald Trump as President is not a moment anticipating Hillary Clinton as President. Hillary Clinton is sufficient motivation for a protest vote among political nerds. For average people who think the name Clinton is an artifact of history the way Nixon, Truman, and Ford are, Trump wins solely because his programs and his brand name have been in their homes the last 10 years.

Remember, we’re the political junkies, not the normals. Adjust expectations accordingly.

About Brian Kennedy

Brian Kennedy is a conservative activist and Taunton resident with 6 years of extensive volunteer experience on political campaigns, with a focus on drafting and enhancing new talent to build the Republican Party's bench.
He is also National Director for the Massachusetts Republican Assembly, a full-platform conservative organization nationally chartered by the National Federation of Republican Assemblies.